It’s got me thinking about the possibilities opened up to me now that I’ve discovered blogs (only took me a decade to latch on to the trend!).

I’ve got a very special friend called Billy. Billy is a small teddy bear who travels the world (via suitcase when one of my friends goes abroad). This isn’t a new or original idea, but it is one that I am nevertheless quite hyped up about.

My plan was to give Billy to Sam (which I have done), and then one day Billy would disappear, leaving a note saying he’d gone travelling. I’d get people to take photographs of Billy in front of famous landmarks, or buying a national delicacy, or riding in a rickshaw; which they’d send to us, along with a postcard. We would then find out a couple of facts about the country, maybe colour in a flag – that sort of thing – and put a sticker in the right place on our huge wall map. After a few days Billy would return home, and Sam would wake up one morning to find Billy sitting in his room beside a shell found on the beach, piece of cheese, tacky souvenir or whatever.

I think it’ll be a brilliant and exciting long-running game I can have with Sam. I can just imagine the anticipation between Billy going missing, and finding out what adventures he was having. I think it’s going to be a great way of discovering more about the world together – without being an overbearing parent (and without having to pay for those flights!).

I love the thought of Billy arriving home with something…do you remember ‘Brum’? I used to LOVE that programme. Brum was a half scale replica of a 1920s car, who lived in a garage with a load of proper-sized cars. Brum would sneak out and have adventures on his own…and the only indication the human owner would have that something was amiss, was that he’d find an ice skate or basket of eggs or something on Brum’s backseat.

So…the game is afoot!

…Although without Sam’s knowledge – I thought it a wise idea to get a good few trips under Billy’s belt so I can space his adventures out evenly over the year; instead of them all occurring in August. I don’t think Sam is ready to put up with his teddy being taken away from him…and I definitely think it’s too early to expect him to understand the concept of countries. But Billy is currently on his jolly holidays somewhere (so too are a couple of identical Billys – I am cheating a little to provide maximum impact for the game, as well as to cover myself if Billy goes missing (or, as has happened twice, Billy’s travelling companion refuses to send him back on account of him being too cute!)).

Now that I have discovered this blog is being read by people in so many different countries, I am wondering whether it’ll be possible to extend the game. I wonder…would strangers be willing to look like idiots; photographing a teddy bear in various poses around their town??!

If I get a single person to tell me that other people are as mad as me, I think I’ll set up a blog for Billy the Travelling Bear. I don’t expect there’ll be many people who will be interested in following the progress of a random teddy’s trip around the world, but it’ll be a good way of scouting out potential travelling companions for him (and by that I mean people who’ll take the photos).

Also…perhaps I could attach some sort of tag to Billy with the web address on, and let him find his way across the world unaided – hoping that the person who finds him looks up the blog; reads the instructions, follows through with the photo request and then passes him on to someone else/leaves him somewhere to be found.

Food for thought anyway. I have no idea why this is a burning issue in my head right now, particularly when the house move is so imminent…but I suppose it is a welcome tactic to avoid packing. I never change.

P.S. I’m really sorry to the very lovely person who said they’d take Billy to Vietnam this month. I haven’t been very organised of late and didn’t think to post him til it was too late xx

Hey Chicky. Wow very creative thinking. If that were to work it would be phenomenal! Billy would definitely have SOME trip!! Cant believe people from all those countries have read your blog, thats crazy mental lol. You Go🙂 xx

LOL you’ll never guess what… but ive actually been to Oman! I was 4 years old so it was my 1st trip abroad. My auntie lived out there (working as a nurse) and she invited us out for a month long holiday! Woohoo we had a great time riding camels and even camped in the desert.
OOhh yes we could certainly take Billy and try to give him a better/more exciting trip this time scene as last time was a bit of a wasted journey xx

This is a fabulous idea. I think you could get some of your international bloggy friends to send you their addresses. Billy is easy enough to mail. You could get him all over the globe in a matter of a few months.

As to Billy’s blog. Do it. I read a blog which is a teddy bear bought in a liquor store. He sample alcohol and does reviews. His owners (a brilliant young couple with two children) happen along the blog as subjects. Occasionally, something in the Canadian news transfixes LSB (Liquor Store Bear) and he goes off on a rant. It is really quite fun.

By all means! Continue. It is a lovely game and will be great for Sam on so many levels. It is a wonderful idea.
Red.